Crumbling
by perrij
Summary: Following the events of Sonic Adv. 2 and the destruction of ARK, Shadow secludes himself on Angel Island but is soon interrupted by Amy, and finds himself dragged into one of Eggman's schemes. Now he and the Freedom Fighters are in a race against time to save the island, and one of their closest friends. (Adventure/Drama/Fluff) Shadamy, Knuxouge
1. Chapter 1-Shadow Remembers

Hey guys! This story is a collaboration between me and my best friend Odd Pudding. She writes the parts for Shadow, Knuckles, and Sonic (the best parts!) and I write for Amy, Tails, Rouge, and **_Dr. Eggman._** Yep, that's right, they're allllll here.

I promise it gets super exciting, so hang on for the ride.

Anyway, without further ado, chapter one!

xxxx

Night was the only thing that felt like a true friend. It hid away things not meant to be found, a secure place to keep your feelings.

Shadow the hedgehog stood on the edge of a seaside cliff, feeling the wind blow around him; his arms were folded at his chest as he contemplated the night sky.

Maria…Would she approve of him? Would she see the things he did and smile, or would she weep? Shadow didn't know- his memories were hardily complete, and all the chaos that surrounded and embodied him only acted to worsen his confusion.

He had met so many people since he had been released from captivity by Dr. Eggman, so many people he had different feeling towards- some he hates, some he helped… But there was one person besides Maria that made him feel that human warmth… She had said words to him in his time of confusion that helped him to make the choice to save what Maria held so dear, she was like a vessel for Maria's words.

Amy.

Shadow sighed and shook his head. It was stupid to think like this, he was a loner, and he was meant to be. He wasn't even real- not really. Shadow glanced down at the shoreline one last time, intending to head back to his temporary resting place in a nearby cave- but just as his eyes combed the last edge of beach, he caught sight of something washed up on the shore. Something… Something… Pink?

Shadow stepped closer to the edge of the ledge, trying to get a better look… It couldn't be, could it? Shadow's heart fluttered anxiously and he activated his boots and did a spinning leap off the edge, landing on his feet in the soft sandy shore below. His gliding boots got him to the side of the fallen Amy Rose in mere seconds, kneeling over her with a frantic look- He wasn't sure what to do! He was a force for destruction, not for good.

Hesitantly, Shadow reached his hand out to pull Amy's soaking body over, praying that she wasn't dead… "Amy… Amy!" Shadow called her name in his deep, gruff voice, accompanying his second call with a hearty shake. "Wake up!"


	2. Chapter 2- Amy All Washed up

She had a knack for getting herself into trouble. Maybe that was why Sonic played so cold with her; she was such a pest. Well…No maybe. He'd called her a pest before and had made it very clear that he found her annoying. But the way she figured, if she just hung around him long enough, he'd finally realize they were perfect for each other! How could he resist? Was Amy Rose not the cutest, the sweetest, the most loyal? She was his best fan. One of these days, her feelings would have to find a way to his heart. She imagined that he'd suddenly grip his chest and fall back, struck by the arrow of love. And then they'd kiss and walk arm and arm into the sunset.

How did she end up here, like this... Tails had insisted that his tracking device could find Shadow faster than the brainiest sleuth could pick a spot on a map. He was always showing off for Sonic, and he got in the way of Amy's spotlight. She wasn't as smart as Tails, but she was a live wire. She could outdo him. She tried.

These thoughts seemed to flow on like the ever rolling waves. From somewhere far away she heard someone calling for her.. It took all the energy she had to pull her eyes apart and stare into the moon overhead. Sonic loomed over her suddenly, a dark form cut in the backdrop of the sky.

"Oh, you saved me," she said, though her voice did not have the usual delighted squeal to it. Amy fancied herself clinging gratefully to him; but in reality she could only grasp weakly at his arms.

Shadow was silent but relieved when Amy responded. It was odd to see her so small and fragile when usually she was such a firecracker.

"... No, I didn't." He responded curtly, pulling his hands away- he wasn't one for contact.  
Now that the immediate concern of her being dead was out of the way, he realized it was… Very strange that she was here at all; he was in a remote place after all. Suspicion suddenly struck the hedgehog and he looked around for any signs of danger. Meanwhile, the world around Amy started to clear up.

"Wait….Shadow?" Amy paused, trying to think of something to say, but her brain wasn't quite up to the task yet. "… Shadow?"

His scowl deepened: another case of mistaken identity with that stinking Sonic… No matter.

"Yeah, its me." He confirmed, deciding that he couldn't very well leave her on the beach like this.  
"How did you even get here, Amy?" His tone was monotonous, yet had an edge of annoyance.

"We've been looking for you for da-," Amy finished with a yelp as she was suddenly lifted into Shadow's arms. Shadow had turned around and began carrying her to the path that would lead up the cliff.

Amy didn't think Shadow was so bad. Actually, she liked to think she and Shadow had a special sort of friendship. Maybe not as special as he had with Dr. Eggman or that Bat Girl, but she and Shadow shared some private moments together once. His silent moodiness didn't bother her at all; she'd endured worse stings from closer companions. In fact, it made him kind of interesting.

"Tails found you by using the emeralds somehow. I don't get it, but he could explain it to you."

"Hmph."

What did they want from him now? He had nothing to do with them recently; aside from taking residence on the floating island Knuckles' was so intent on protecting.

"Sonic wants to pick another fight, huh? Fine, I'll run circles around him like I always do," Shadow said with an over-confident tone, the ghost of a smirk on his face. The idea of getting into a tussle with Sonic was appealing in its own way. He was a match for him, even if he would never admit anything but superiority in front of anyone. When they reached the cliff face, Shadow looked up, planning his route beforehand. He bent his legs.

"That's not why he's looking for yooOOO-" Her voice caught in her throat as Shadow suddenly sprung onto the ledge.

And then onto another, and another, and another. The rush made her want to scream, but she kept the urge down. She wanted Shadow to see she could be an adult about this. Then she wondered if he even noticed the lack of screaming; and she started to regret losing her opportunity. If he hadn't noticed, what was the point? Maybe she ought to have done it anyway. It was her given right as the only girl of the group, and she loved playing the part of the girl.  
Then again, she reminded herself of the situation she was in. Was Sonic's twin not carrying her to the top of an island cliff, doting her with concern? This was…This was perfect. She was going to make Sonic so jealous.

Shadow landed on each edge with the skill of a cat, taking only moments to reach the top. He was approaching a modest tropical bungalow that sat inside the mouth of a cave. The cave was a rather gloomy place, but it had a small river that ran out of it and over the cliffside. The bungalow was also a little gloomy, but that was only from neglect.

"You're going to rest where I've been staying, you're in no shape to go back to your friends."

"Sonic wanted to thank you for all your help," Amy said, ignoring his order and resuming the previous conversation, "He was going to invite you to join us- Ooh! How pretty."

Amy actually liked the little bungalow, and took a moment to appreciate it for what it could be. Unlike Shadow, she had Idealist vision. With a little feminine touch, she could turn this place into a cozy nest. Shadow sat her down on a bed and turned away. He lit a couple of candles as Amy burrowed back into the sheets. They were worn, dirty too, but had neat patterns on them.

"Are you hurt? You know, you shouldn't wander off from your friends if you're gonna get hurt." And he gave her a hard look.

"Hm? Hurt?"

In that moment, Amy realized her back leg had been stinging, and she turned it over to find it scraped up and crusted with a thin layer of blood.

She felt a lecture coming on and her natural instinct was to respond in a whine, "I knew what I was doing! Sometimes you have to get a little hurt, right, Shadow? Like when you fell from the ship."

Shadow had turned his back to Amy and folded his arms, closing his eyes and quietly listening to her try to compare herself to him.

"Tch. It's not the same at all. I am the ultimate lifeform, a little scrape isn't going to put me down." Shadow said haughtily, glancing at her from over his shoulder. The scrape didn't look too bad, it just needed to be washed.

"Besides, if you were looking for me, Eggman and Rouge already found me a while ago." He said as he walked over to a bucket by the door, aiming to fetch some water for the wound. His recollections from the ARK space colony were spotty at best- He only remembered a few things after waking up in a giant crater.

Eggman had, of course, tried to manipulate his vulnerable position- but Rouge had come in and reminded him of a few things that happened, which triggered a few other memories. That's why he was here- he was contemplating his situation: what to do, who was right.

"They found you first, but I'm the only one who believed you were still alive after your fall. Did Rouge tell you that? Just ask her, I really did!" She smiled, batting her eyelashes and swaying about, hoping it came off as super cute.

"I don't want to be a part of your Team."

He then stopped at the doorway and turned to look straight at her. "I work alone."

And he walked out.

So Shadow wanted to be difficult. Amy rolled her eyes; all boys were difficult. They were always talking about "being alone" and "needing time to think". _I just need time to think, Amy_ and _I don't like when girls propose to me, Amy_. She scoffed. What was there to think about? Feelings tell you everything you need to know.

xxxx

When he stepped outside, dawn was beginning to break. Shadow had a feeling his quiet contemplation wouldn't last too long, especially not with that chatty pink nuisance staying here with him. He sighed and scooped up a bucket of freshwater, carrying it back inside to set it next to Amy with a rag. She'd have to wash it herself, he wasn't a nurse.

"Hungry?" He asked, deciding that an excuse to get away a find food was a good enough one.

Amy was sprawled out on his makeshift sheets. The light had crept away from her corner, so it wasn't immediately obvious that she'd fallen asleep. Asleep she was, though, her head peacefully pressed into a striped blanket.

She didn't answer him, but another voice did.


	3. Chapter 3- To the Doctor's House

After finding Shadow, Dr. Eggman had set up a sort of base on the island. He hadn't explained his intentions, yet, but Shadow was told that his _cooperation was preferred_. Dr. Eggman kept mostly to himself and only checked in with his protégé from time to time.

"What an idea! I was just about to invite you over for a bite. You can't possibly find a proper meal digging through sand," came the gnarled sound of Dr. Eggman. He stood in the doorway, casting long shadows all the way across the room and up the ceiling.

Shadow let out a drawn sigh, turning to meet Dr. Eggman with a stale glare.

"Why should I?" He asked, genuinely looking to be persuaded.

But Dr. Eggman's mouth twisted a bit, his moustache bristling. It was clear he hadn't expected such a cheeky response, even though experience should have prepared him for it. As he found his footing again, he straightened up and leaned forward. He towered over Shadow by a good several feet, and wanted to make this apparent. Shadow was unmoved by this, simply moving his apathetic gaze to keep contact with his face.

"Because, I've launched a deflective shield so that Sonic won't be able to find this island. I can just as easily dissolve the shield, but I know how you like your privacy. Now..I believe you owe me a favor."

It would be inconvenient to be hassled by Sonic and his entire entourage- Shadow already had Rouge bothering him, and Knuckles was on the prowl, though he hadn't figured out Shadow was around. He then glanced back at Amy.

"Fine. See you there, Robotnik." said Shadow.

Robotnik also moved his eyes to the sleeping girl. Dr. Eggman didn't have much leverage over Shadow. But things were changing. New data needed to be processed and categorized. His gaze lingered over Amy.

Shadow decided to wait until Robotnik had left the bungalow before he made any move.

Robotnik was an interesting character, to say the least- objectively, he did a lot of bad things. But Shadow understood his motives. Power was king in this world; and a man like Robotnik, who already had a wealth of cities in his grasp, still couldn't get enough power… Especially with Sonic and his ragtag group constantly threatening it.

Shadow looked over at Amy, wondering what to do with her. After a few moments, the hedgehog decided that she would probably sleep a while and he'd be back before she awoke.

With that, Shadow stepped out of his house and into the rising daylight. He knew where Robotnik's hideout was, it wouldn't take long to get there- he didn't even need to tap into his Chaos power. His boots ignited with light and like a shadow fleeing from the light, he streaked off into the distance.

xxx

"What took so long? Isn't it rude to keep guests waiting?" Shadow asked sarcastically. His arms were crossed and he was leaning against one of the metal beams of Robotnik's base. He had arrived long before the mad-scientist and took to waiting in the entryway.

Shadow had a cocky streak that sometimes reminded Eggman of Sonic, and did nothing to endear him to the hedgehog. The only thing that tied them together was their past, back when Shadow was a soldier at Eggman's disposal.

Nevertheless, Dr. Robotnik had approached with a confident swagger and smile. He seemed pleased, quite pleased, _despite_ Shadow's badgering. He knew very well that Shadow had been waiting for him. Waiting, perhaps, even longer than he should have. But what would it matter to Shadow if the old scientist took a little extra time strolling among the Roses?  
Eggman chuckled under his breath.

"Ah, Sha-dow!" he always announced the name with an air of enthusiasm, "You haven't lost any speed since the crash, I see. Very impressive. "

Shadow raised a brow.

"Nothing could slow me down, Eggman."

"Perhaps not, but I was prepared for that; I don't casually leave my doors ajar."

He made a grand gesture at the metal doors. As usual, he had gone overboard and built a base with far more security than necessary. Though if he took the time to stop and think about it, he might wonder why he even went to the trouble. Sonic always found a way through every armored wall, every barricade he could dream up. Poking a button on his remote, the heavy metal flaps slowly slid together until they were sealed again.

It was then that Rouge decided to make an entrance.

"And with good reason, Dr. Robotnik. You never know what might find its way through," she teased.

Rouge shot a glance at Shadow and smirked. His response was to turn his head away dismissively- they weren't really buddies, he wasn't sure why she acted like it.

"What do you think you're—Oh very well," said Dr. Robotnik, changing tones on a dime, "If you want to be a part of this, then take a seat and listen closely."


	4. Chapter 4-Another Day, Another Evil Plan

Got our FIRST REAL REVIEW so I became overly excited and decided to post the next chapter.

I am so easy to sweet talk

xxxxxxxx

"Can we get on with it?" Shadow said, staring pointedly at Eggman.

"Yes, yes, I'm getting around to it," he chided back. He could never act fast enough for these hedgehogs.

Rouge sat back on her hip, arms folded. She'd come to the island looking for a vacation, but wasn't about to turn a blind eye to Dr. Eggman's schemes. They could be dangerous… or lucrative.

Eggman took another moment to think. He'd talked himself through the whole thing on the walk back. This new plan was nothing like the one he'd _intended_ to present to  
Shadow that evening. But as every good scientist knew: adaptation is the key to survival. Eggman had stumbled upon some new facts. So the stilted man made some last-minute modifications and had arrived at the base with a fresh speech.

"I've just finished my research on Sonic's Super form; the one we all witnessed on the A.R.K. It's unique to hedgehogs alone. Did you know that, Shadow? Well…" he grumbled and began to pace with his arms at his back, "Not every hedgehog can attain it. Some just aren't built for it. In fact...the amount of energy radiating from a Super hedgehog can be harmful to those like...Amy Rose."

Eggman paused, his glinty eyes searching Shadow to see what he might catch. Shadow had been listening placidly up to this point, but now his gaze turned critical.

Amy was affected by their Super transformations? Shadow put a hand to his head, rubbing his fingers over his forehead- He couldn't remember it… Not well at least- only flashes, Amy was there but… Could it be? He looked at Rouge for a moment, but quickly returned to Eggman.

"I can see she's already started to deteriorate since Sonic's transformation. She probably wouldn't live. Fortunately for her, my studies have been fruitful in this, too. I have a cure."  
Now Robotnik looked from one listener to the other. Here was the punch.

"I propose we hold it over Sonic's head."

Rouge didn't need to open her mouth, didn't even need to budge. Eggman foresaw those protests and raised a hand to stop them.

"I'm not proposing we let the girl die, only that we use this bargaining chip as it's meant to be used. That's what I will do, anyway. The both of you can help or stand aside, those are the only options you have."

Shadow scowled, still trying to put the pieces together. Why would Eggman have a cure? He knew Robotnik hated Sonic and his cohorts- Although… he was Gerald's grandson, and he did aid in rescuing earth from the A.R.K… A fact he both recalled, and was informed by Eggman while he was recovering.

"Why wait to cure her, then? Do it now. Sonic won't know any different." Shadow said with some edge of vitriol, disliking the idea of an innocent suffering sickness simply so Eggman could get the upper hand with Sonic. "What do you expect to get out of Sonic anyway?"

"I expect him to back down!" shouted Robotnik, the force of his voice equaled by the pound of his fist against the table. "I have had enough of Sonic's ruckus. If he wishes to meddle with what is mine, then I will meddle with what is his! It's justice."

"And I'm not going to take chances, Shadow. If you want to be useful, keep the suggestions to yourself. You stand between Sonic and Amy, no doubt he'll come for her first."

Rouge had since grown quiet. Amy was a nice girl and Rouge wouldn't wish any harm on her, especially for so little payout. Still, Eggman had all the cards. It was no good standing against him.

Eggman sensed the susceptibility and engaged her first:

"Rouge?"

"Well, what do you want _me_ to do? It seems like you've got it covered."

"Not quite. I want you to keep a lookout for Sonic and his friends. If you're as good a treasure hunter as you claim, then you know treasure awaits those who serve me well." He laughed, tickled at the thought of his own power.

A split second passed.

"You bet I do. Count me in," Rouge conceded with a half-smile.

"Then I've said my part, I'm going to bed. There's a submarine sandwich in the iron chest, I recommend you take some for you and your new friend, Shadow. Goodnight." And he left without further ado.

Shadow wished his conclusions could be as simple as Rouge's. If there was money in it, or fun, it was up her alley. But Shadow found his head spinning with a thousand arguments and counter arguments. It was true, at the end of the day Robotnik held the cards. If Amy was going to survive at all he'd have to play by _his_ rules. Shadow huffed, making his decision: keeping Amy from dying would be his priority. No need to second guess that. It was an absolute truth and an absolute justice- and if it meant fighting off that blue streak, then all the better.

Shadow eyed the chest with the sandwich, then looked at Rouge.

"You always seem to know where the action is." He commented snidely.

He had mixed feelings about her-generally speaking- but he did know that she couldn't be trusted. She might be able to pull one over on that numbskull, Knuckles, or any of the other freedom fighters, but he'd seen her in action: every move had some ulterior motive.

"Working for the president again?"

"If I were working for the president, do you think I would spend all my time sunbathing on a secluded island? Well...I _am_ that good," she let her smile linger, then moved in for the point, "So what's Amy doing here with you? Are you trying to touch someone's nerves, Shadow? Hmm?"

Rouge was contemplating Shadow's motives with the same uncertainty. He was one of those dark, silent types who tried to hide when his feelings were coming through. Or, sometimes, to disguise those feelings in the form of philosophical thoughts. He probably didn't know that she could read between the lines of his philosophies. After all, Rouge liked the sparkly things buried deep down. The more elusive, the more enticing.

Shadow would probably try to bolt once he had the food, so she cut him off at the source. Brushing past him, she settled herself down on the iron chest, her legs crossed like a proper female.

A scowl pulled at Shadow's mouth. She was biding time. Irritating. He didn't need to stay, of course. He could find food elsewhere if he really wanted to. But it wasn't worth the effort; he would humor her for now. It was enough for him to know that he wasn't trapped in a situation against his will.

"I have better things to do than kidnap that Blue hedgehog's girlfriend. She showed up looking for me." He said, turning his head away to look thoughtfully to the side. _Looking for him_ , she said. Interesting.

"Sonic won't be far behind, I'm sure," continued Shadow, "They all seem to think I am interested in joining their team." He looked back at Rouge with a probing eye, aiming to assess her response. When it came, it was simple; but biting.

"I wonder what would give them that idea."

Rouge met his gaze and held it. Here was his chance to express himself. He had split loyalties, she knew. Rouge had them too. There was no need for a front.

Shadow snorted, dissatisfied. He could see that bat-girl was trying to goad him. She knew things about the events surrounding the A.R.K. much better than he remembered, but preened and teased instead of being helpful. Though it didn't matter, he supposed. He had to come up with his own conclusions one way or another. At least he could be certain that teaming up with Sonic wasn't in his future.

"Hmph."

Which meant Rouge wasn't getting anything out of him today.

"Move aside, Rouge. I have to attend to my mission, and I can't keep track of Amy if I'm here with you." he said with a snarl while taking a menacing step toward her, intent on getting that sandwich now that it'd been kept from him.

Maybe it was as cut and dry as Shadow said. Shadow had called it a mission: a word which seemed to drive him. It was funny to imagine Shadow looking after a little hedgehog girl, the idea seemed so out of his nature. Or maybe it wasn't? Either way, there was nothing to be done. He was as shut up as a top-secret high security vault.  
And at times like these, Rouge was a pacifist.

"Oh if you insist."

She slid off the chest and let him through.

"Give Amy a goodnight kiss for me."

Her heeled boots echoed through the room for a moment longer, then stopped suddenly, and she was gone.

Shadow let his arms fall to his sides, relaxed. It was a better decision on her part not to provoke him. It hadn't really come to blows between them before, as far as he could remember, so she must have caught on pretty quick not to push him too far.  
He pulled the lid open to find a sandwich, as promised- though he did consider its location odd now that he was confronted with it tangibly. Robotniks seemed to be a touch eccentric.  
The Dark hedgehog grabbed the sandwich and, just as quickly as he arrived, he sped off.

xxx

The sun was just above the horizon when he arrived, food in hand, his eyes immediately focusing on where he had left the girl to see that she was still there.


	5. Chapter 5- Sonic Confronts Shadow

_"Man, water really sucks",_ thought Sonic as his legs made a red flurry beneath him, sailing over the surface of the ocean like a hypersonic speedboat. He was never one for swimming.  
But he made an exception, since Tails had identified the island (now bobbing closer and closer) as Shadow's location.

Speaking of the little guy… Sonic glanced behind him to see if his best friend was still tailing him and smirked when he saw that he was. The kid was really starting to pick up the pace! Of course, this wasn't Sonic's fastest speed, not by miles, but if he ran _that_ fast the kid would feel bad. 

Sonic leaned into his sprint as the shore quickly closed in, noticing that the beach ended in a cliff wall. May as well keep up the momentum and get to the top!  
Sonic rolled his body into a blue bladed ball, increasing his speed. As he hit the shore the sand flew up like a fountain behind him. His body hit the cliffside wall- almost immediately yielding to the speed and friction. Sonic burrowed a tunnel up until, just as his momentum was beginning to fail, he broke through the top of the cliff amid a spray of rubble.  
His body unfolded from its ball like a spring and he stood facing the ocean, a cocky grin on his face.

"COME ON TAILS! DON'T FALL BEHIND! YOU WERE DOIN' GOOD!" The hedgehog shouted out, his free hand cupped over his mouth.

His other hand held one of Tails' gadgets: a little flip computer of some kind. Sonic didn't know a thing about this techno-mumbo-jumbo, but he was happy to use these things when Tails made them (even though the squirt didn't appreciate it when Sonic grabbed it from him and ran). And this one was made specifically to track down that Faker, Shadow.  
Sonic glanced at the screen of the little gadget, disappointed to see that the little red dot that had been flashing was now gone. Tails had mentioned something about cloaking or whatever, but he wasn't paying attention.

Sonic looked behind him, brow furrowed a little. He wasn't absolutely sure, but he swore that he had seen the red dot close to the shoreline on the computer's map. Then he spotted the little abandoned bungalow and his face perked up.

"Hey… Whatcha wanna bet..." Sonic said with a cockeyed grin, tossing the gadget over his shoulder for Tails to catch while he strode toward the little home. 

Sonic pushed the door open without hesitation.

"Yo! Any shadowy figures in he- AMY?" The hedgehog spat suddenly, immediately spotting her in the corner.

What the heck? Why was _she_ here? He thought they left her in the dust a while ago. Sonic leapt over to the pink hedgehog, looking her over with mounting curiosity.

But before any questions could be answered, a familiar voice echoed from behind them.

"Sonic. Get out of here." The voice growled. Sonic turned and saw Shadow standing menacingly in the doorway, a red glint in his eye.

Sonic took only a moment to process this, then a wicked grin spread across his face. "Kidnapping? Really? Trying to pin that on me too, Faker?"

The little walky-talky at Sonic's side began to crackle.

"Sonic! Wait for me! I'm almost there!"

Shadow dropped the sandwich and his boots ignited so that hovered a couple inches off the ground. Sonic could tell just by looking at him that Shadow was there for a fight, and he was always ready for a fight- Or… He thought he was.

The walky-talky clattered to the floor as Amy jumped Sonic from behind, throwing her arms around his neck. It seemed the smell of her lover had jolted her out of a dead sleep.

"I knew you would come looking for me! Myyy hero." Amy nuzzled her face into him, hanging limply off his body.

"Augh! Amy! Get off of me I'm _DOING_ Something right now!" Sonic said indignantly, prying her off. It was especially effective. She didn't just fall on her bottom. Her whole body hit the ground, head to toe. Sonic hadn't quite meant to be that rough, usually she was holding onto him with a near stranglehold- her weakness took him aback. Even Amy was surprised. 

"Ouch!" she yelped as loud as she could. It took extra effort to pull herself up, and not just because she wanted Sonic to feel bad. She propped herself on her elbows, just in time to see Shadow bury a solid kick right into her sweetie and sending him flying backwards through the door. The childish light died from her face, replaced by a mix of anger and astonishment. 

Shadow glanced down at Amy. "Stay here." He said, then aimed to fly out after Sonic.

"Hey! Leave him alone!"

Of course, Shadow wasn't interested in what she had to say. Instead he flew out after Sonic, who had just landed with a giant splash in the center of the river. It took a little struggle, but Amy was on her feet in an instant and chasing down the contenders. 

As Shadow streaked toward the water, a blue ball shot back out and slammed into Shadow. The black hedgehog was sent flying; but he quickly adjusted his position in the air, catching himself on his feet. 

"Shadow! He's not here to fight you!" Amy shouted with all her might. Although the free-for-all between them suggested otherwise.

"Gee, I thought you were a good guy now, Faker. Looks like I was wrong!" Sonic said with a sneer, ignoring Amy. It wasn't true anymore, this guy started a fight and Sonic wasn't about to back out. 

Shadow scowled and relaunched himself at Sonic who caught him in a handhold, their powers pushing against each other.

"You'd better leave, blue hedgehog. You are going to be the death of Amy." Shadow growled, which only received a sarcastic look from Sonic.

"Yeah she's doing great with you! I guess that's why she's so eager to-" Shadow cut Sonic off before he could finish any quips, throwing him to the side- which was followed up by a spindash that sent the blue hedgehog flying off the cliff.

xxx

Tails wasn't too far off now. He had all the eagerness, but none of the hustle. His breath came in quick huffs, and he was exhausted, but the sight of the ever-approaching cliff kept him going. He'd do it for Sonic. The fact that Sonic hadn't responded over the walky-talky worried him. Of course, it wasn't exactly abnormal for Sonic to get caught up with other things or simply not care enough to respond. Still, Tails worried. He could be in danger.

" _I'll save you Sonic,_ " Tails thought to himself, his expression dead set and determined. The cliff was so close now he found himself reaching out to brush his fingers against it and-

Sonic _had_ attempted to readjust himself before he hit the ground, but unfortunately for both him and his buddy, he'd hit the incoming fox with all his falling force, and now they were both coughing up sand.

"Jeez! You okay, man?" Sonic said with a wince, leaping up to help his friend up- then looked up at the cliffside. "WHOA, WATCH OUT!" Sonic shouted suddenly as Shadow, standing on the cliff ledge, summoned a barrage of Chaos Spears, raining them down on Sonic and Tails from above. 

Sonic hauled Tails over his shoulder, dodging the barrage of spears with a sudden panic. He could deal with this alone, but not with Amy and Tails around- Shadow had clearly lost his mind or something.

One thing that did seem to be clear was that Shadow wasn't… Hurting Amy? That would have to be good enough for now. Sonic yelped when one of the spears came dangerously close to hitting him, then, focusing on the long shoreline, he sped off with Tails on his shoulder.

"I'm super-duper, Sonic…" the foxboy managed to say, his head spinning.


	6. Chapter 6- A Desperate Plea

Shadow watched them as they left- eyes narrowing. Sonic would be back, he wasn't going to listen even if they had a civil conversation. Sonic wasn't the type to accept responsibility for his actions.

Back at the top, Amy watched helplessly as her two friends sped from the island. Worse than that, she was stuck with Shadow- whom she no longer liked, because this was all his fault.

"Awwwwwwwwwwww," she moaned, crumpling to the ground in overreactive fashion, "Now he's gone, I'll be alone _FOREVER_!"

Her voice rose to a note so high it was almost inaudible to the human ear, and she dissolved into tears. Shadow did not wince externally, but he certainly did internally- the only indication of his frustration was a deepening scowl and a dark glare. For all Rouge's less than desirable attributes, at least she didn't howl.

"He's coming back." he said, uselessly, since his voice was unlikely to penetrate the bedlam.

The whole show was highly dramatized, but somewhat entertaining. With each fresh wail she sunk lower and lower to the ground, her head in her hands. Shadow just shook his head and started back towards the bungalow to let her mope in peace, but was stopped short of the door when the previously obnoxious noise all too quickly became a pathetic whimper. He turned to find her in a heap, silent and still.  
His annoyance was replaced with concern, jolting to her side and pulling her up by the shoulders.

"Amy?"

His voice carried all the implications of 'are you okay?' without actually having to ask. Her head lolled onto her chest and she looked up at him through the glossy eyes of someone who wasn't quite ready to wake up. She managed to steady herself on her hands; she'd gotten a little shaky.

"I don't feel too good," Amy replied with a tone firm yet bewildered, as it had all hit her out of the blue.

A lot of different sensations were coming at her in turns, like the nauseating bob of a ship on the ocean. Her leg hurt, Sonic-er, Shadow was ebbing in and out of focus, she was hot, she was cold, and all the blood felt like it had drained out of her head. But through the sickly buzz, one thing was certain: she needed to get back into the bungalow and radio Tails on that walky-talky. She didn't want to be here, feeling like this.

Shadow could only relate the sudden onset to the stress Sonic had caused, further embittering Shadow to the presence of the blue hedgehog.  
He slipped his arm under hers and pulled her upright, waiting to see if she could steady herself. It seemed not, and, although Shadow would have much preferred taking her to Robotnik for care, he wasn't sure if she could make the trip at the speeds Shadow would need to go.

"Come on." He directed, deciding that rest was the only option for her. He would need to decide whether to go without her to get Robotnik, or to wait and see if she recovered enough.

 _The one time Rouge could be useful and she's not here_ , thought Shadow as he carried the girl inside, setting back on the bed. He wasn't a doctor, he wasn't sure what to do beyond that.

"... You're sick. Robotnik can help you, he knows about it and offered to help." The hedgehog explained this briefly, unsure of how this would be taken. Eggman was not exactly well loved by the freedom fighters.

Nothing he said was making any sense to Amy, and even less so when it hurt to think. She could only muster a shake of the head, saying "Robotnik doesn't do any good for anybody", but she hated the feeling of rolling her head against a flat, pillow-less bed.

"Sonic got you sick, that's why I fought him off. Now look what he's done to you."

Really, how could he stand sleeping here without any pillows? Amy began to drift into a pillow-centered reverie, but Shadow's accusation brought her back.

"Now I know you're lying. Sonic might be mean sometimes, but he wouldn't make me sick. Well, he gave me a cold once, but that's different."

She rubbed her head with her free hand. What did she want to get from the bungalow again? It was something to do with Tails. Shadow was still looking at her, and she looked back in a pleading sort of way as if to ask for his help.

It was that very look that made him remember… Maria wore the same grieved expression in her last moments, and it spurred Shadow to action. He glanced at an object that wasn't there before: some kind of walky-talky.

Well. This was an interesting prospect.

He walked over and picked it up, then glanced at Amy. She may have had a point about Eggman. He was shady, to say the least, and it was possible he was lying… But Amy _was_ sick, like he said.

For now he'd give Eggman a chance. If he failed, then… well, he'd just have to get ahold of those freedom fighters afterall- now he had some leverage.

"I'll be back soon. Don't run off, you are in no shape for it." He said stoically- then looked down at her with a softer expression, if still a little stern. "I mean it." And then he glided off towards Eggman.

xxx

Sonic let Tails go after they had cleared the beach, just before it turned to jungle. Shadow's bungalow stood above and a fair way down. Sonic turned towards it now, a thoughtful hand grabbing at his chin.

"That was weird. I think he's lost it, Tails. He attacked me after I pushed Amy offa me, and then he said I was gonna be the death of her!" The blue hedgehog said, then opened his arms with a shrugging gesture.  
"Maybe he had a crush on her, heh. What do you think, buddy?" He asked, turning to tails to see if he had any input.

Tails didn't think any of his friend's ideas should be discredited, and so he did dedicate a moment of serious thought to what Sonic said. Still, try as he might, Tails couldn't see the reasoning in it. He couldn't make any sense of it at all, actually. So, he had no choice but to disagree.

"Mmm," he hummed "I do not think that was it. But Amy shouldn't be alone with Shadow if he's going to act like this. Maybe he's working for Dr. Eggman again."

"Oh yeah, Robuttnik's stench is alllll over this one, Tails. Somehow that guy makes a chump out of everyone except us," Sonic replied with a cocky grin, rubbing his nose.

Sonic wasn't really super serious about the crush thing- he only kinda believed that. Maybe it'd loosen him up to have a girlfriend anyway, and it'd get Amy off his back for once… Though in the same token he didn't particularly love the idea, though he couldn't pin exactly why.

Tails settled himself in the sand. Of course Robotnik would have tracked down Shadow as soon as he found out he was still alive. How he'd figured it out so quickly, Tails wasn't sure. But Robotnik had his means. And although they'd banded together to preserve the planet, there was nothing to keep them from returning to villainy. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed likely.

"Should we go back, Sonic?"

Sonic nodded without hesitation.

"Yeah, I'm going back but you're staying here, kay? If Shadow's gonna pull that Chaos spear stuff, you should probably hang back."

He was always the first to suggest going it alone- not that he didn't think teamwork was cool, it just so happened that he was pretty awesome himself and didn't usually need help. But as soon as Sonic told him to stay, Tails slumped like a deflated balloon. He felt up to the challenge. Still, he didn't protest. He knew Sonic was just looking out for him like a good brother.

"Aw.." mumbled Tails, kicking at a rock "there must be something I can do."

The wheels of thought were turned steadily in Tail's head. He quit pacing and took a hard look at the ground, then, as if struck by an electric charge, he had an idea.

"I know! I'll fly to a good vantage point over the island and find out where Dr. Eggman is hiding. I'm sure he's up to something, right Sonic? We need to find out what it is before he shows us!"

Tails hopped into the air. It was always a relief when he could give himself an assignment. Sonic did so much, Tails didn't want to be a useless appendage.

"Nice Idea, pal! We'll meet up back here!"

He then sped off without hesitation, feet a red blur beneath him. Normally Sonic would let Tails come. The badniks were- well… bad. But at least they were bumbling, and usually too slow for Sonic; so even if Tails got into trouble, he could easily be rescued.

Shadow was a whole different can of worms. That guy didn't pull punches, and he was a serious as a heart attack- he would just rather keep that guy away from his friends if he was going to be aggressive.

It was a bummer that Shadow was back to being a bad dude, he woulda been a fun guy to fight Robuttnik with. He couldn't make heads or tails out of why he was keeping Amy though- and that was actually a bit worrisome. Amy was kind of a nobody, why would anyone focus on her?

As Sonic approached the bungalow he slowed down to a jog; he wanted to assess the situation before he went flying in there like a bat outta heck. When he got to the entrance he poked his head inside-

Well it seemed like Shadow wasn't here. That was good? Maybe? Kind of a bummer, though, he wanted to give that guy a good 1-2 punch.

"Hey Amy, what the heck is going on?"


	7. Chapter 7- A Giant Wave and No Escape

Hope everyone's enjoying it so far! If...if you are keeping up with the chapters, my friend and I would love to see a comment from you. We wanna know you're having as much fun reading this as we had writing it 3

Anyhow, this is a good one so hold tight

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Robotnik rolled over in his bed, grumbling. Someone was calling for him, fussing up a good nap, and he wasn't very happy about it. If it was those idiot door-to-door salesmen again, he was going to attack them with his robot army. This thought gave him enough energy to struggle out of bed.  
He pulled his suspenders over his pajama bottoms, checked his moustache in the mirror-it checked out- and started for the stairs.

"Ahha! Returning so soon, Shadow?"

Robotnik tapped his fingertips together. Shadow was not the type to swing by for a chat, he must have come with news.

"Have you seen Sonic?" he asked with the hint of a smile in his voice.

But Shadow had just about reached the end of his patience with Robotnik. His arms were crossed tightly against his chest and his eyes had a flash of irritation.

"Sonic was there when I arrived. I thought you said you had a shield up," he growled. He was all too eager to point out the inconvenience he caused, or expose the lie that he told.

"More importantly, after I fought him off Amy got worse. Help her."

This demand did not come with an ounce of pleading- it would be bad for Robotnik if anything happened to Amy.  
Really bad.

xxx

Up in the clouds, Tails got a clear view of the floating island. Most of it was obscured by foliage, dotted with mountainous spires. Finding Robotnik's hideout might have been tricky, had he not made a double armored fortress towering high above all the trees. Anything less extreme wouldn't have suited him. It made Tails happy to complete his mission in record time.

"I've located Eggman's fortress," Tails announced into his walky-talky, "I'm going to inspect it for any weak spots."

xxx

Robotnik passed his gaze from Shadow to the walky-talky in his hand. That voice sounded like…Tails. He had heard all of Shadow's complaints, but this new information interested him far better.

"Opportunities are opening for us every step of the way! "he exclaimed, imagining Shadow was as excited as he was, "Why should foxboy look for vulnerabilities in my fort when I will welcome him through the front door? Bring him here, Shadow, and then we can talk about _Amy_. We will all talk about Amy together!"  
Robotnik threw his head back and laughed. He then composed and moved on.

"As for the shield, I had to take it down to let Sonic onto the island. I'm going to put it back up right now, so there will be no speedy getaways for our little blue hedgehog."

The walky-talky began to crackle to life again.

xxx

Tails had descended into the treetops, debating with himself about the best course of action. But his voice was soon drowned out by a loud rushing noise. His ears swiveled, trying to pin the source. Strangely, though, the noise seemed to be coming from all around, and it was getting closer and closer. Then Tails looked up, and he saw it.

"SONIC! SONIC! RUN!" Tails shouted into the walky-talky,"THERE'S A-A TIDAL WAVE—IT'S GOING TO HIT THE ISLAND! RUN!"

xxx

The hedgehog huddled up in the tropical patterned sheets did not look much like Amy. She had her body to the wall with her knees to her chest. If she answered Sonic, it was only with meek sniveling noises; she hadn't really noticed him come in. Sonic frowned, looking quizzically at the girl huddled up in the corner- what was her deal? This was not cool, he decided, after getting a better look at her. Something was definitely going on with Amy and it had Eggman written all over it.

"Hey- did Shadow do something to you?" He asked stepping toward her and putting a gloved hand on her arm.

She knew right away who the gloved hand belonged to, before his voice even reached her. There was something so self-assured, so brazenly confident about Sonic that it came out in everything he did; even something so small as a touch. Amy turned to look at him, and for a moment the relief in her face wiped out any trace of discomfort.

"It's okay, Amy! I'll get you back home and you'll be right at rain, thanks to me," The blue hedgehog said in his usual candor, rubbing his nose in that cocky way.

Amy replied with her big, completely-infatuated smile and sighed happily. Sure, Sonic was worried about Amy- he wasn't heartless- but he was also positive it could be fixed relatively easily, so there was no reason to be _too_ concerned. That was Tails' job, anyway.

However, just as Sonic was getting ahold of Amy to carry her away, he heard a loud… Distant… Roar. Mm… Maybe not so distant? Sonic's immediate thought was that it was one of Eggman's super Badniks, so he let Amy go and sprinted out of the bungalow to check.

"Hold on! I hear somethi- WHOA! TIDAL WAVE!" Sonic's stance went from a confident battle pose to a shocked, stumbled one as he turned to find the massive wave coming in fast.

xxx

Shadow's apathetic expression suddenly stretched into one of alarm. He flicked his head around to glare at Robotnik, as if he had planned this, and grit his teeth.

"I'll be back, Robotnik. Don't close those doors." He said, tossing the walkie talkie at the rotund man and activating his hover boots, blasting off toward his beach home.

Dr. Eggman set to work immediately after the message came through. He turned his back to Shadow, grumbling about wasted water power as he tottered away. To him, the solution was obvious, and frankly on his to-do list anyway, so this wave problem was just back-to-the-old-grind kind of stuff.

"I'm going to reactivate the shield, Shadow. That should be enough to screen the island off from this Tidal Wave. I know I don't need to remind you, but I would like Tails here within the hour," he called, but Shadow had long since left.

Robotnik brushed off the silence and punched in a series of buttons on his giant processor.


	8. Chapter 8- Rouge,the Wave,and an Echidna

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to remind you of a few other characters in this story. Letsss check in on those guys.

xxx

Normally when Rouge was on the job, she didn't blink an eye until she got what she was after. However, having just finished a high-profile assignment in which the entire planet was almost destroyed, she wanted a little time off. She didn't want it, she needed it. Stress could ruin a great body like hers, and Rouge wasn't about to let that happen.  
Sonic and his little fox friend could wait until tomorrow.

She was lounging on a beach chair in the sand. Getting out in the sun was nice every now and then; she brought her heart-shaped sunglasses to do just that. As she lay back trying to remember what that echidna's torso looked like when she saw it reflected off the master emerald, the loud rushing sound got between her and her thoughts.

Rouge sat up, ticking down her glasses so she could look over the rims. The sight of the giant wave made her leap out of her chair with a yelp. The thing was higher than the trees- it looked like it was up in the clouds. And it was about to hit.

 _I don't think I can fly out of here fast enough_. Was it better to find cover? Or to leap into the air, possibly to fly directly into the oncoming wave?

"I guess it was too much to ask for a day off" mumbled the bat, taking a nervous step backwards.

Suddenly, under Rouge's feet, a pair of white gloved hands burst from the earth and grabbed her around the ankles. She had been expecting an assault from above, not below, and so uttered an undignified yelp when the hands stole her through the ground. Knuckles was, of course, the culprit; it seemed he was looking out for her again. He released Rouge after pulling her down.

"Come on, this way!" He said, pointing further down the tunnel, which was only dimly lit by the hole he had just made.

With the approach of the deadly wave, Knuckles' first thought had been to seek shelter underground. Fortunately, Rouge was already on his radar, as he had been actively seeking her out before the tidal wave ruined everything.

"This tunnel goes up and into an enclosed cave, we'll be fine there."

He'd reaching the point in the tunnel that turned a sharp vertical, so Knuckles dug his fists into the dirt and began to climb. With a few flutters of her wings, Rouge followed closely behind. The heavy sound of water echoed eerily overhead, and a few droplets dribbled through. Rouge's heartbeat quickened a little and she looked to her companion; he didn't say anything, but he'd heard it. The wave must have been bigger than he had thought.

Before long, the two of them were in a small rocky enclosure lit with glowing crystals that shot out from veins in the rock.

Acting decisively, Knuckles walked over to a wall and wound back his fist. He thrust it with a grunt into a crack that had formed between the flat wall and a large protruding rock.  
The impact snapped the large crag of rock off the wall and Knuckles caught it and lifted it above his head, turned, and crammed it into the hole they just entered from, just as the water was beginning to bubble up into the cave.

Rouge was watching closely, and a little eagerly, as he labored. There was no knowing what would happen to the others, but she hoped they were safe. Probably Shadow would be able to outrun the thing. What did she have to worry about? He'd slammed into the planet and still walked away practically unscathed. Then Knuckles turned on her, and scattered her thoughts.

"Now that the wave isn't a concern-" he began, patting the dirt and pebbles off his gloves. "Where's my master Emerald? I thought you gave up 'treasure hunting'!"

She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Rouge did not have his master emerald. Since she'd arrived here, she hadn't even thought about the emerald-much. Had he really tracked her down just to play this "master emerald" game again, or was there more to it? Oh, surely there was more.

"What makes you think I have your emerald?" she said, turning away with her arms crossed and promptly forgetting that he had saved her life, "Why can't you keep track of that emerald, anyway? You should really be more careful with a priceless thing like that."

Things were off to a rocky start, but Rouge had to admit it was nice to see him. Not outloud, though; the only hint she was pleased was a faint smirk under her hooded glance. She passed her eyes over their little hovel. It was a lovely place, all the walls glimmered with gems. It was the sort of cave she felt at home in.

"You didn't tell me you lived a life of luxery," Rouge simpered, running her hand over one of the walls.

It was just a tease, of course, Rouge was well aware this island harbored layers and layers of underground crystal. It was because of that very reason that she'd decided to vacation here.

"First of all, I don't live here." Knuckles bristled at her tone, gripping his hands into fists at both sides.

It was a convoluted story how he came to believe it was her, but- well… Well perhaps he didn't have any solid evidence it was her- BUT-

"SECOND- who else would take the Master Emerald?!" Knuckles snarled at her- then took himself aback realizing the stupidity of that statement. "-OTHER than Robotnik! And Sonic- and- okay."

Knuckles felt the heat of embarrassment crawl up his face, but he exhaled and regained his composure- Rouge had a tendency to mix him up, and he wasn't all that socially adept to begin with.

"Alright, fine, I didn't know if it was you or not, but I guessed. I know the Emerald is on this island, I can sense it." He said, tapping his head to imply that his mind turned things over logically. "The Emerald is here, Eggman is here, _you're_ here. You can't tell me you don't see a familiarity in that."

Rouge was finding Knuckles' flustered rant amusing, if ever so slightly tiresome. But she gave the echidna a chance to have his say. There was no real harm done. He was talking himself out of most of it, so Rouge could half-listen and spend more time getting her hip cocked just right. Meanwhile, he had crossed his arms, like this was all completely logical. Maybe it was. Afterall, once a thief, always a thief; and she wasn't exactly apologetic about it last time.

However, he did end up pinning her with something that Rouge had no real excuse for.

"That's not my fault, they followed me here," she replied, holding her hands out in a shrug that seemed to insist she was powerless, "Along with everybody else."

Rouge rolled her eyes with a smile. It was a lie, but she loved the idea that everyone came dogging after her. And who knows, maybe there was some truth to it. Rouge had come to the island to seek Shadow. But when she decided to vacation here, it wasn't as if they all _fled_. They dug their feet in all the moreso.  
Perhaps she was stretching it. Rouge slowly paced the small hovel, shifting her thoughts to muse on Knuckles' problem instead.

"I feel bad, you know. You must be so lonely without that emerald. Do you need me to find it for you?" She grinned.

Knuckles huffed. She always had such an arrogant way of saying things, and she never gave a clear answer- unless… She really meant that everyone followed her there. He supposed it wasn't… impossible… After all, he came here after her- maybe she had something that everyone was interested in.

…..

LIKE HIS EMERALD.

The echidna shook his head in response.

"I can find it myself. I have before, I'll do it again." He said, not acknowledging that every time he lost the Emerald he had friends to help him do it. "But you can help if you want." He added, looking away from her at the rock wall. He wondered if the wave had passed through yet.

Then something she said suddenly struck him. "Everybody? _Everybody_? Sonic and Tails are here too? Amy? Why? The last i saw them they were looking for Sha-...d…"

A revelation hit him. Shadow.  
Shadow. The Chaos Control expert.  
Could it be that he was alive?

"Is he alive? Did he take it?"

Rouge's eyelids settled somewhere down in the "bored" position. Boy, he sure had her fooled in the beginning. It baffled her to think of it now. She had thought he was one of those cool and collected types. But the more she got to know him, the more she realized he wasn't quite that cool and definitely not that collected. All that aside, though, she could understand a little fizzing over a beautiful gem like the Master Emerald.

" _Why_ do you keep _asking_ me? I don't know _who_ has your emerald. You know, I wouldn't have let you have it if I thought you'd be so irresponsible about it," she turned away from him with a sweep of her hip and eyed the dirt ceiling, "Anyway, I'm sure Shadow is too busy with Amy to worry about that crystal, he's got doctor's orders. Has that wave passed yet? I'd like to get out of here."

Just then, as if to answer, the hovel shook. Several rocks tumbled from their places and dust clouds spurted into the air.


	9. Chapter 9- Consumed

Why wasn't Sonic answering? Tails stared desperately at his walkytalky, as though willing Sonic's voice to suddenly come through. If Sonic had gotten the message, he would have answered, he would have reassured him.

"Sonic? Sonic.." said Tails as he weakly pressed the walkytalky button in one final effort.

Nothing but radio silence came back, and it put Tails into a panic. Absently, he began to fly in the direction of the bungalow, but the sight of the falling wave brought him back. He couldn't get to Sonic. He probably couldn't even save himself- although he'd try. Tails searched the ground for something, _anything_ to shelter him. The only thing worth a chance were the solid iron pillars holding up Eggman's base. Tails dove down and held on. He shut his eyes tight and tucked his head into his furry chest. He didn't want to see the water coming.

xxx

 _No matter!_ Thought Sonic, with only slightly staggered confidence; he could definitely outrun a wave- "AH-! SHADOW! HEY!"

He jumped out of the way of a whirr of black and red- Shadow had returned, quick as a heartbeat. Sonic thrust himself into the doorway, arms spread, now giving Shadow a serious look.

"I don't know what you're doing to her, but you better give her to me!" He said, the other hedgehog already grasping the limp and frail figure of Amy in his arms. Shadow said nothing, but glared and Sonic and made a rush for him, thrusting his leg to kick Sonic out of his way.

Sonic flashed out of the line of fire- grimacing as Shadow streaked away at full speed. Hitting Shadow wasn't an option while he was holding Amy, that was for sure- he'd have to think of something else to d-

"Ha!" Sonic yelped, as the wave encroached on him faster than expected. He sped off after Shadow, weaving through the jungle to… Who knew where. Sonic caught up pretty quick, though he hadn't yet thought up a way to free Amy. And neither had she, apparently, since she was yelling to be put down.

"Shadow! Give it up!"

Shadow slid a sideways glance at Sonic, a cruel look in his eye.

"Won't your little friend be looking for you?"

Sonic frowned, then looked towards the sky, as if it held the answers. Shoot, it looked like this was some kind of plot, afterall. He had to find a highpoint- away from the wave that was crashing ever closer behind them.

xxx

Everything passed by in a blur. Amy couldn't even focus on the scenery; the only thing she had to occupy herself was to try and piece together what had happened. Things were a mess, and Shadow kept insisting that Sonic made her sick. Sick with pure happiness, yes, but this? He seemed to believe it himself, since he was doing everything in his power to keep her away from Sonic. Could it be true? All she had wanted was to score one for the team (before anyone else did). Amy turned her thoughts from the gloom and tried to be positive. Maybe she still could, as soon as she got better.

By the time Shadow arrived at Robotnik's front door the wave was closing in at rapid speeds and Sonic had gone his own way. However, to Shadow's deep annoyance, the door was closed with a solid floodgate. Looking back, he saw the raging, foaming white water barreling towards them. His only option was to go up.  
So he held Amy tighter, vaulting into the air and sprinting along the top of the dome. She gasped as her stomach dropped, and in no time they had reached the pinnacle. It was the tallest landmark on the island.

However, when Shadow looked to see the wave, it was reaching even above the dome.

"Tch-" He spat, frantically looking around to see what other options he had. None. Shadow then braced himself and Amy-they'd have to take it.

"Hold on." He said to Amy, turning to his back was to the wave and curling his black body protectively around her.

The wave came down-Amy buried herself into Shadow just as he drew himself over her, and breathed. And breathed again…And.. Where was the water? She slowly peeked out from the crook of Shadow's neck, just in time to see the wave hit Eggman's giant island shield, which stretched across the sky.

"What in the world? Shadow, look!" she exclaimed, pointing to the spectacle.

The black hedgehog had been so ready for the impact that, when it didn't come, he found himself just the slightest bit disappointed. But he looked up as Amy indicated and saw the waves splashing against the shield above them. He pulled away from Amy a little and let a satisfied grin cross his face. It seemed that the contemporary Robotnik did have some of his grandfather's genius after all.

However, the restoration of Eggman's reputation was short lived.

As usual, Dr. Eggman's mechanism was good, but not great. Apparently, he hadn't prepared this shield to hold a lot of weight, for just as the water began to slip back, the barrier broke and a torrent fell through.

There wasn't much time to react, and although Amy gripped into Shadow with all her feminine strength, the water split them effortlessly. Shadow grabbed haplessly at liquid blue as Amy was thrown across the dome, taking a handful Shadow's fur with her.  
She flailed all her limbs as the water pushed her back. In this moment, Shadow was like her lifeline. She had to get back to him. Amy struggled to reach him again, but the gap between them only grew.

"Grab my haa-a—"

Water gushed into her eyes and mouth until she could only see the ends of his fingers as Shadow disappeared over the side. It took her too. Beneath the surface she was somersaulted and tossed helter-skelter until she nearly forgot what was going on. And then she did forget. Things blanked.


	10. Chapter 10- New Plan

Shadow's expression intensified when Amy didn't respond, only remaining limp and pale in his grasp.

"Amy?" Shadow said her name again, pulling her back and grabbing her shoulder. "Come on!" He said harshly, masking any sense of panic he had with a sharp command and a firm shake.

Still, she didn't respond and those same old haunting memories cascaded in on the hedgehog like a nightmare. He Had failed to save Maria- would he fail to save Amy too?  
No, he couldn't- he couldn't! He was supposed to be the Ultimate lifeform!

Just as Shadow was contemplating what to do, Amy shuddered to life again, coughing and sputtering. Shadow stared in silence at this, feeling such a sense of relief that he sighed- rather more loudly than he normally would have… It seemed that he had been holding his breath up to this point.

For a while the two of them said nothing while she gulped air down, staring up at the peaceful blue sky. The hedgehog felt himself lean back and close his eyes for a moment of respite. He wasn't… overwhelmed, per say- but he had never been in the position of keeping anyone alive other than himself, and it was draining.  
Finally, Amy broke the silence.

"I'm tired of all this mumbo jumbo!" she announced, sounding like herself for the first time in a while, "Sorry Shadow, but I'm getting out of here."

And then..she did nothing. Shadow looked down from his reclined position. He had made no attempt to stop her, but it seemed he didn't have to. Without even excusing herself, Amy remained, sprawled out in every direction. It would have been funny if he felt like laughing.

At least she sounded a bit more perky, though she did not look it. He didn't know if it was a turn for the better or if it was just adrenaline. Either way, he had a bone to pick with Robotnik, so he got up with the girl. Shadow then hopped down from the ledge, and slid gracefully down the dome. There was a large, Robotnik shaped call-button on the inside of the archway. Shadow kicked it impatiently, and was further irritated by the doorbell tune.

On a good day, Amy didn't mind getting toted around a little. She quite liked it, actually. It fulfilled a sort of heroine-like need in her heart. By now, though, her quota was far beyond full. And Shadow wasn't even gentle about it. Although, if Amy was really being honest with herself she knew that Sonic wasn't so gentle either. _Oh Sonic, I wish_ you'd _carry me all day,_ thought Amy with a daydreamy sigh.  
She let Shadow lug her along, but she was a handful.

"Just hang on, would you? You've taken me all over this island and I still don't know what's going on! My leg hurts! And what happened to Sonic? And Tails!" she'd ran out of breath, but sucked in another and kept going, "Okay, okay, I'll come in for a minute, but I can't stay. Wait! Is this Dr. Eggman's house? I'm not going in there!"

Her adrenaline had kicked in alright, and not in a good way.

Meanwhile, Robotnik came to see who had rung his special doorbell. He'd wired the thing to play a guitar-heavy rock song which rallied his self-empowerment whenever it went off. There was no reason for him to be surprised when the visitors turned out to be Shadow and Amy, but he wished it had been Sonic. A small part of him wanted Sonic to hear his doorbell.

"Why are you all wet?" he asked in his growl of a voice.

He looked up into the sky, as if searching for a sign of rain. There was not a cloud in sight, it was a beautiful day. Eggman grunted and put the mystery aside, he was more interested in knowing why Shadow had come without Tails.

"And I said I wanted Tails, not Amy! This is no good. Hurry, come in and take a seat. We need Sonic and Tails before we can settle this properly."

That had done it. Shadow's patience finally broke under the pressure of the incessant annoyances. He had come here to be alone, and yet… Rouge bothered him, Amy washed up on his beach like a gutted fish, Eggman was extorting him, Sonic- SONIC! And then he was dragged and tossed around by a tidal wave, his hair was torn out and the only person who _benefited at all_ from any of these efforts was wailing and squirming and carrying on.  
It was too much, too much for one anti-social hedgehog to take in a day. The last thing he needed was Eggman to run his mustache.

Shadow set an ugly glare on Robotnik, scowling more deeply than he had all that day. He put Amy down and stepped towards Robotnik with an aura of intense discontent. "No." He growled in a low tone, then he activated his boots and leapt up, catching Robotnik's jumpsuit by the collar and landing his feet on the man's round belly. There was no time to escape from Shadow's wrath. Although Robotnik was four times the size of the hedgehog and equally as temperamental, he made no struggle to resist; only braced himself for the blow. Shadow brought his face in close, meeting Robotnik's goggles with his own eyes.

"This is what we're going to _do_ , Robotnik. Because so far, I'm not impressed with your goose chase idea." Shadow snarled menacingly and thrust a free hand back to pin Amy as his new target subject. "You're going to help her. If I have to babysit her, then you're going to at _least_ make her comfortable so I don't have to hear her bubbling all day."

He didn't care if he wouldn't cure her until Sonic and Tails were captured, but this current situation was not ideal.

"Then you're going to take that walky-talky and you're going to engineer it so I can find Tails and bring him here. Then we'll have all the leverage over Sonic that we need. Do you understand me, Robotnik?" Although he was fuming, his voice remained a level monotone- though it did have an edge of danger to it that he normally left for his rival, Sonic.

Dr. Eggman was feeling reasonable, even if Shadow was not. He considered Shadow a partner, a very useful one, and one he did not have much control over. So Robotnik willingly received his input, however it was given.

But what to do about Amy.. Robotnik had not expected her to be this big of a problem. From the start, it looked so simple: injure the pink hedgehog and use her as blackmail. Easy enough. But now Shadow was at his throat, making demands for the hostage and disobeying the most obvious orders. It was enough to make Eggman throw his hands into the air.

"If you will have it no other way, so be it!" he resigned, gathering the shreds of his dignity, "Plans can be altered. I will program the robocopter to fetch some pillows while I take a look at that walkytalky. I hope you like wire mesh, Amy, I encase all of my pillows with it."

Amy looked despondently at Eggman, unmoved from the spot Shadow set her. She had just been shuffling her feet against the floor, trying to decide whether to run to Sonic or wait for him at Eggman's base.

"It sounds awful.." Amy wisely observed, and a bit dolefully. It seemed she would be here a while.


	11. Chapter 11- A Heated Confrontation

(New chaapterrr haaa...I recommend looking at chapter 8, or at least the end of it, before coming to this one)

"What?"

Knuckles could only utter one befuddled question in response- her statement seemed to have too many different variables to make any sense, considering what little information he had.

Amy and Shadow? Doctor's orders? Why was everyone here? WHERE WAS HIS EMERALD?  
By the time that Rouge was demanding to escape, Knuckles was so tired of her that he wanted to crack the wall open and let the wave come sloshing in. He'd like to see her all washed out for a change.

However, the Island seemed to have different plans- shaking him out of his general annoyance and tossing up dust. Knuckles braced himself for the rumbling, looking up instinctively for any falling rocks.

The jolt knocked Rouge onto her backside, and she uttered a small cry of surprise. Not another tidal wave?

Not quite. It seemed that the cave itself was ripped in half by some invisible hand. A deep crevice cleaved through the crag in which they had resided: it burst open to reveal the blue sky above, but below, a raging red hot stream of Magma began to surge up quickly from the depths of the island.

"What is going on," Rouge asked aloud, her teeth clenched. But as Rouge turned to look at Knuckles, he was gone. There was now a wide, steaming gash in the ground where he had stood. A mental vision of Knuckle's fate made the fur at her neck stand on end, and she half-crawled, half-fluttered to the edge in a hurry. The hot air blinded her.

She heard before she saw.

"Go, Rouge!"

It seemed Knuckles had tumbled several feet towards the raging heat before catching himself on the rock wall. He clung to it, though it boiled under his spiked hands. He practically camouflaged against the color of the rising lava. Rouge was relieved beyond measure, but now caught in a sort of dilemma.

She believed Knuckles could take care of himself; she'd seen him do it time and again. Still this nagging feeling, this curiously compelling "what-if?" made her hesitate.

It was the memory of Knuckles valiant deeds that finally permitted Rouge to act on her feelings. Really, it seemed like he was constantly looking for ways to act like a big, chivalrous hero and a free agent like her couldn't get tied down with debts like that.

She plunged in, eyes shut. It wasn't just hot down there, it was searing.

The rocks under Knuckles hands crumbled away more quickly than he could climb, until the echidna felt himself fall away with a rain of glowing rock. He flailed for some other surface to grapple, and just as his fingers slipped again, there came a sharp tug on his tail.

And soon he was ascending upwards, away from the massive heat, watching with a pained expression as the Magma bubbled up from the crevice. He felt the welcome coolness of the air on his sweaty face, but tears were welling in his eyes from being dangled by such a sensitive joint.

He kicked his limbs in a struggle to get loose, looking up with a flush of embarrassment at his rescuer.

"L-L-Let me go!" He shouted through the wind, finding the need to save his tail from being ripped out his foremost concern.

Amazingly, Rouge complied without one of her chiding remarks.

The ground was damp, of course, and puddled in some spots, but it was safe enough for Rouge to glide down and gently set her cargo in the dirt. She wasn't so ungracious as to believe she didn't deserve thanks, though. As he got up, she locked an expectant stare on him.

It wasn't coming easily. Knuckles scrambled to his feet and quietly rubbed the base of his tail, glaring silently at Rouge for a moment.

"... I could have gotten out." He said in a defensively loud voice, crossing his arms and turning his eyes away. "... But thanks."

Knuckles turned his head up to look at the mountain, which was now oozing.

"Anyway… Things are getting serious. Without the Emerald the Island is just gonna keep falling apart. Its gotta be found." He continued, more seriously, "I'm gonna go talk to Eggman. If he's here, he probably has something to do with it."

They both glanced at the metal dome peeking out over the jungle canopy.

The thought of the island collapsing, all its precious jewels sinking to the depths of the unreachable ocean floor, was more than Rouge could bear. Well, what was it to Rouge if the doctor's plans were foiled? Her interest in his money was lukewarm at best, and she doubted he was all that generous an employer.

And- who was she kidding, she had a little thing for Knuckles.

But if Dr. Robotnik really was harboring the Master Emerald, it would be hard for Knuckles to pry it away all by himself. She eyed the tenacious little echidna, turning the thing over in her mind. She might have been projecting her own feelings onto Shadow, but something told her he could be swayed to drop this new task from Robotnik without much fuss.

"It's not going to be easy infiltrating the doctor's fortress," she said, a sigh in her voice,  
"But Shadow may just be willing to help. Follow me, I need to check on him anyhow."


	12. Chapter12-Sonic's a Wash, Tails a Flurry

AND we return to everyone's fav bromance

xxxxxxxxx

Not… Every decision Sonic ever made was a stellar one. He could even admit it to himself sometimes, under the right circumstances... Circumstances which he found himself in now. After Sonic parted with Shadow and Amy to find Tails, he had found himself between a rock and a hard place- literally.

Angel Island was a pretty rad place, but it was awfully mountainous, and Sonic had been faced with a decision: get smashed up against a rocky cliff, or run into the water.  
He decided the water was softer. Which was both right and wrong. He quickly discovered that when he sped with full force into the oncoming wave.

His _plan_ (He did have one, definitely) was to have shoot right THROUGH the wave and fly out on the top of the water like a flat pebble. The blue hedgehog had held onto this delusion right up until he hit the wave and was promptly swept up and dragged along its chaotic course. He remembered being tossed around, ping-ponging off a few things and the distinct sensation of drowning before the water overcame his senses.

And now he was sopping wet, laying on some rocky surface with waves benignly lapping at his lower body. He ached all over and had barely enough energy to look around… So he didn't.  
He simply closed his eyes and let the hot sun beat down on him until he could be motivated to get up

So far this whole Shadow rescue mission was a big bust, he shoulda stayed in his racecar bed this morning.

xxxxxxxxx

The cascade of water felt like it would never end. Tails held on to the column as long as he could, but he still ended up tossed into a giant leafy plant several yards away. When the flood finally drained out, Tails sat up and assessed the situation. He was drenched and dripping, but alive.

What was that strange barrier in the sky? By Tails estimation, it had inhibited the momentum of the falling wave, thereby decreasing the weight of force at impact. And for that much he was thankful. He wanted to know more, but he would have to look into it later. Sonic and Amy were out there somewhere; Tails couldn't sit back knowing they might be hurt, or…Tails clenched his eyes shut and shook the thoughts out.

He took to the air again. In the face of so much green, he hoped he would be able to pick out his blue brother quickly. Sonic…he hated water, maybe more than he hated Dr. Eggman. Tails faltered, and corrected himself: no, that wasn't true. Dr. Eggman was evil, and for a noble person like Sonic there could be nothing more offensive. Even still, it broke his heart to know he wasn't at Sonic's side in his time of need.

And then he saw him, lying dead still in the sand.

It would be an understatement to say Tails was shaken by the sight. He took a nosedive the second he recognized him; and the closer Tails got, the more distraught he became. From the looks of it, Sonic had endured the whole thing. He was beat up. Tails could see that he was sliced in a few places, scraped in others, and wet everywhere. The latter worried Tails the most, because it meant Sonic hadn't moved to shake himself dry. Hadn't moved at all.. Waterworks were ready to spring to his eyes, but Tails held it back. There was still a chance. If anyone could survive that tidal wave, it was Sonic.

The moment he touched down, his legs were already carrying him to Sonic's side.

"Sonic! Oh no," he shouted, dropping beside his best friend. The dirt was soft like mud, "Sonic, tell me you're okay. Say something."

He wished he had never thought to leave. Together, they might have…Tails was on his elbows, as low as he could get to see into Sonic's face.

Sonic had thought he heard the familiar whirring sound of Tails' tails, but still didn't find this a motivating factor to budge. It wasn't until Tails was collapsed beside him, pleading with him, that Sonic let out a pained sigh. He opened his eyes a little, brow furrowed, and pulled a weak cockeyed grin. "-I'm fine, Tails. Just tanning.".

Tails was so happy to see Sonic alive that he laughed at the quip. When Sonic reached for his shoulder, Tails was at the ready, already bent down so Sonic could latch onto him. His friend was not quick to take help unless he had to, so Tails knew Sonic felt as bad as he looked.  
Tails, himself, didn't quite understand why he was so bashful about accepting help. Tails felt like he was getting help all the time—in his research, out on the job, and even for small things- like being a good friend. In his experience, the only way to get anywhere was by taking the hand of another.

"Thanks for the save. Lets get away from this puddle, huh? You look like you did just fine." Sonic added at the end with a weary wink.

"I found something to hold on to," confessed Tails, "I tried to warn you as soon as I saw it coming, but something must have intercepted the transmitter. Sorry, Sonic…You'll be okay, won't you?"

"Huh? Oh the walky talky- I lost that thing.. Ng- I lost it before I fought Shadow the first time, Don't worry about it." He said dismissively, holding an open wound on his side. Whatever he ran into had done a number on him. He'd be fine soon enough, but a little rest was needed.

"Yeah I'm okay, Buddy. When have I ever been down for the count?" He said with a sure-fire confidence- it was convincing enough for his friends and it was convincing enough for himself.

Tails was walking at a bit of an angle while trying to keep Sonic upright, and finding it a struggle. His thoughts were beginning to churn. If the bungalow was still standing, they could rest there. Suddenly Tails remembered their third teammate.

"Oh no, Amy! Where is she?"

Sonic he drooped a little. He wasn't really sure what to say, the whole situation was kinda ridiculous.

"Shadow got her before I could. Good thing too, I guess." She probably couldn't have taken the impact of the wave with the same elasticity as he did.

"She wasn't looking so great, Tails- I dunno what Eggman is doing, I don't know what Shadow is doing, but there's something wrong with her and that Faker is doing his best to keep her outta my hands." He said, looking up and hoping that they would find a place to stop soon. If they were headed back to the bungalow, maybe Shadow would return to the scene.

Tails was a bit alarmed to think of Amy out there somewhere, with Shadow and Dr. Eggman. They had thought Shadow changed for the better. Clearly, he hadn't, since he was doing just as much damage as before. And, like Sonic, Tails wondered what either of them would want with Amy. And..she was sick? He didn't quite understand it, but he could guess that some kind of bargain would be involved.

"Did you find Eggman's base?" Sonic cut in suddenly, "We'll crack it open and get Amy lickity split."

"Yeah, his base is just a few miles in. We can go there after we wash up a bit. Well, not like that. You know what I mean, right?"

xxxxxxxxx

Tails could feel Sonic starting to lag, but he didn't say anything. He wondered how much further he would get on his own. There was always the option to fly, but Sonic would protest being carried..He cast a sidelong glance at Sonic, who looked like he was struggling just to keep his eyes open. And that was all the convincing Tails needed.

"Hang on, we'll get there a lot faster if we fly," he said suddenly.

Before the words had finished leaving his mouth, Tails had lifted him into the air and helicoptered away.

"-Hey, come on…" Sonic put up only the slightest fight, feeling a flush of shame dash across his face. He had been thinking about just sitting for a moment and going to get Amy right then. But it seemed that his stalwart friend was having none of that.

"I'm fine! Mhn..."

They set down on the porch of the bungalow and Sonic stepped inside, noticing that the place looked nicer… Cleaner than it had before. The wave must have freshened it up. What was more bizarre was that it looked like a mess of pillows had fallen out of some drawer or closet or something, and had scattered across the floor. They were wet, but festive and cheery.

Sonic, who had decided he did not need help walking into the bungalow, picked a couple of pillows into a corner and flopped over on them with a wince.

"Only a couple minutes, then we'll go take care of-ss… Amy." He said with an edge of insistence in his voice, although his eyes were already closing fast. He had opened his mouth to say something else, but before another utterance could be heard, the blue hedgehog dropped off into an exhausted slumber.


End file.
